Four days of prayers begin in Zimbabwe today as a
prelude to a week ofdemonstrations starting on Monday, called for by the
main opposition partythe Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), in its
boldest move so far againstthe rule of President Robert Mugabe. With a
pledge by Mugabe and warveterans to crush the demonstrations, which are also
supported by civilsociety groups and trade unions, next week could see a
violent showdown thatmay test the loyalty of the security forces to Mugabe's
Zanu PF party. Nextweek's action will also mark a significant shift in
strategy for theopposition, which up to now has confined itself to
organising two stayawaysin an attempt to force Zanu PF to the negotiating
table. Mugabe has said hehas instructed law enforcement agents to deal
ruthlessly with"mischief-makers". And militant war veterans, who are aligned
to theZimbabwean government, said last week that they would not allow the
massaction to take place. "This time, using our military experience, we
willmobilise against them," Mugabe warned. "I do not want to mince my words.
Theconsequences for any mass action will be grave." The ex-combatants said
theywould put their 55000 members on alert throughout the country to combat
theMDC mass action.

MDC spokesman Paul Themba Nyathi said the
party had, for the first time,called for demonstrations, which the party
intended to be peaceful, becausetwo previous stayaways had not brought about
a shift in the position of thegovernment on negotiations. Mugabe has refused
to enter into talks with theMDC until it drops its court challenge to last
year's presidentialelections. "We have to change tactics to increase
pressure on the regime andmake it to stop feeling comfortable in power when
it is destroying thecountry," Themba Nyathi said. Police spokesman Insp
Andrew Phiri declined tocomment yesterday, however, police in the past have
taken action againstprotesters. Themba Nyathi appealed to the security
forces to disobey ordersthat did not "accept that Zimbabweans have a right
to demonstrate".

Robert Mugabe
broke new ground last week by declaring - at last - he wouldwelcome an open
debate on who will succeed him. The topic was previouslytaboo on the Zanu PF
agenda, and it was declared that Mugabe would remain inpower until he
completes his present term in 2008. This is still,technically, the official
position. "Some leaders are consulting traditionalhealers and ancestral
spirits in search of charms," Mugabe announced at arally in the remote
Tsakare area near Mount Darwin, 200 km north of thecapital. He can only have
been quoting reports he gets from CentralIntelligence Organisation spying on
his own supposedly most trusted aides.He repeated the remarks the next day
at another rural rally, and lashed outat young black professionals and
business people who "work against thegovernment" although their livelihoods
are at its financial mercy.

Throughout his 23-year rule Mugabe has
made frequent claims to the authorityof the ancestral spirits. And new
legislation reinforces the perks andprerogatives of chiefs on a scale
undreamed of by reactionary districtcommissioners in the days of
white-minority rule. Tribal leaders now enjoysweeping powers to arrest and
expel "disloyal troublemakers." It allunderlines how out of touch he and his
cronies are with a new generation ofZimbabweans who listen to rap music and
are fans of Cuba Gooding Jnr.Mugabe's repeated charge today is that
supporters of Morgan Tsvangirai'sMovement for Democratic Change are
"totemless" aliens who have broken withtheir ancestral culture. This,
however, is the essence of the sociologicalrevolution Tsvangirai and his ilk
represent. A veteran trades unionist withno elitist ancestry pretensions, he
is as far removed from Mugabe in spiritas the Scottish socialist Kier Hardie
was from Bonnie Prince Charlie. SouthAfrica's African National Congress is
way off beam when it equates the MDCwith Mozambique's former Renamo rebels,
mostly rural people who underPortuguese rule were classified as
"non-assimilado" -unassimilated intomodern legal norms.

The MDC
draws its core support from a new black lower middle class who
watchtelevision, who have relatives in the 3-million strong Zimbabwean
diaspora,but are too poor to own businesses, which make them hostages
to Mugabe'spatronage system. They are to be met every day in queues where
they expressthemselves forcefully, but are of course unheard by the elite,
who haveanother source of supply. As the economy and the Zimbabwean
currencycontinue to plunge - inflation in April reached 269,2 percent - we
aremoving into a vicious apartheid that will cleave this society from top
tobottom, one section having a source of supply ruled by the US dollar,
theother by the Zimbabwean dollar. Special shops and filling stations,
operatedon concessions by members of Mugabe's elite, are making everything
fromimported lamb and butter to petrol available to a privileged few who can
payin foreign exchange. The US dollar last week fluctuated between one
toZimbabwe $1 500 and Zimbabwe $2 300. Meanwhile a woman primary
schoolteacher, earning Zimbabwe $56 385 a month, is hard put to pay Zimbabwe
$10000 for a packet of modern "feminine requisites", which have to be
importedsince the local factory closed.

Such people care nothing
for mumbo-jumbo about charms and spirits. Most are,in any case, members of
the main line Christian churches. Mugabe and Zanu PFwill be unable to
eliminate them unless (God and the ANC forbid) they adoptthe Killing Fields
genocidal tactics of the Khmer Rouge. The issue is not,therefore, about
Tsvangirai's individual character, the influence of thedwindling number of
whites or the British and American governments. Whichis why those
South Africans who back Zanu PF are putting their money on afoundering
horse. By telling us how his lieutenants still dabble with charmsand
spirits, Mugabe reveals not only the atmosphere of paranoia he hascreated
around himself, but how his elite has failed to modernise
itsthinking.

Cape
Town - The tide of democracy is turning and the new Africa is to beseen in
Kenya, Nigeria and Zimbabwe, Democratic Alliance spokesperson onAfrica
Graham McIntosh said on Tuesday.

Speaking during a special debate in the
National Assembly to mark AfricaDay, he said: "It is that tide that we must
encourage and support and bepart of."

"The real and sustainable
future is being carved by the people of Africa, aswe strive for the right to
democratically choose our governments.

"In Nigeria, we have had a great
victory for democracy. Kenya is a shiningexample of what the new Africa
wants.

"There, a people made angry by an old corrupt crony regime, threw
out agovernment that represented the old OAU with its style of arrogant
andunprincipled leadership," he said.

Turning to Zimbabwe, McIntosh
criticised President Thabo Mbeki and thegovernment for its stance on that
country, saying the old Africa and the newwere struggling next door to South
Africa in Zimbabwe.

"Mr Mbeki is elected as our president, to look after
South Africa'sinterests."

While Zimababwean President Robert Mugabe
caused huge and direct human andeconomic, damage to South Africa as he
destroyed his country and oppressedhis people, "our president treats him
like a dear old uncle".

"What kind of leadership is this and how can the
world have confidence inthe African Union when its very first chairman does
not effectively addressthe Zimbabwe issue?

"On Zimbabwe, president
Mbeki's politically immoral stance has also donedamage to the Commonwealth,"
McIntosh said.

HARARE, Zimbabwe -- Zimbabwe's main opposition
leader drew new politicalbattle lines Tuesday in a showdown to oust
embattled President RobertMugabe, announcing he would not be part of any
power-sharing government withthe ruling party.

Morgan Tsvangirai,
hardening the stand of the opposition Movement forDemocratic Change, said if
Mugabe was to leave office, the ruling partyshould be left to run the
country for 90 days before new democraticpresidential elections were
held.

The proposal for a power-sharing agreement had been raised over the
last fewmonths by various intermediaries.

Mugabe, 79, has been under
pressure to retire as the nation faces its worsteconomic crisis since he
became its first black leader after the southernAfrican country won
independence in 1980.

The proposal for a power-sharing government was
mooted earlier this year byintermediaries reportedly acting for senior
officials of the ruling partyand the military. It gained currency as Mugabe
invited his supporters todiscuss the succession for leadership of the ruling
Zanu-PF party openly forthe first time.

Discussion of a possible
successor to Mugabe had in the past, beenrepeatedly postponed.

Mugabe
has not commented publicly on the proposal, but has repeatedly saidthat he
would not leave office without assurances that the Zanu-PF wouldremain in
control.

Tsvangirai said the nation's constitution clearly provided for
an actingpresident, most likely from the ruling party, to take over for
three monthsahead of fresh elections once the incumbent vacated
office.

Tsvangirai told a meeting of diplomats representing the Group of
Eightcountries Tuesday, that his party wanted dialogue with Mugabe but "will
notbe part of any negotiation process which simply seeks to incorporate us
asjunior partners into the structures of illegitimate power dominated
byMugabe and his cronies."

Such a power-sharing arrangement, he said,
"will only serve to expand thatillegitimacy and ultimately sanitize the
Mugabe regime."

Tsvangirai has called on people nationwide to hold
demonstrations on Sundayto "prepare for the final push" against Mugabe. Such
protests are illegal inZimbabwe.

Britain, Zimbabwe's former colonial
power, the European Union, the UnitedStates and independent observer groups
rejected the results Mugabe'sre-election last year as fraudulent and swayed
by political intimidation andvote rigging.

"We are ready
to crush any demonstrations which will lead to the destructionof property or
is a threat to national security," Home Affairs MinisterKembo Mohadi told
the state-run daily Chronicle.

"If the demonstrations are peaceful, then
they can go ahead. But if they areviolent, we will not stand by and watch,"
he was quoted as saying.

Pro-government veterans of the country's war of
liberation last week warnedthat they would clamp-down on any opposition
demostrations using "militaryforce."

War veterans leader Patrick
Nyaruwata said the former guerrillas will be"using our own miltary
experience" against the MDC organised protests, in away that has "never been
seen before in Zimbabwe."

"The consequences of any mass action will be
grave. We will co-ordinate withthe state agents to fight you (MDC) off," he
warned according to pressreports.

But MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai
said he and his supporters must be preparedto be arrestd and to make a mark.
The MDC organised in March a two-daynational strike that was largely
followed. Last month, the labour movementwhich gave birth to the MDC advised
people to stock up on food ahead of themass action, but many have been
unable to withdraw the money from theiraccounts to do so because banks have
run out of cash. - Sapa-AFP

Following Sunday's Africa Day celebrations in Johannesburg andelsewhere on
the continent, a special debate marking the event was held inthe National
Assembly today. Pallo Jordan, the portfolio foreign affairscommittee
chairperson of the ANC said Africa stood at the threshold of a
newera.

All Africans, regardless of nationality and colour, needed torise to the
challenges, including, in some areas, tribalism and cronyism,and disease.
African countries needed to gain more control over their ownresources,
rather than seeing them shipped abroad to industries in othernations. "We
must start to exert greater control over our resourcesthrough...agreements
between countries and with other regions of developingcountries," he
said.

Jordan also paid tribute to Sibusiso Vilane, who became thefirst black
African to reach the summit of Everest, the world's highestpeak, yesterday.
"With people like Sibusiso among us we have no need to fearfor the future of
Africa," he
said.

Graham McIntosh, of the Democratic Alliance, said the tide ofdemocracy was
turning and the new Africa was to be seen in Kenya, Nigeriaand Zimbabwe. "It
is that tide that we must encourage and support and bepart of. The real and
sustainable future is being carved by the people ofAfrica, as we strive for
the right to democratically choose our governments."In Nigeria, we have had
a great victory for democracy. Kenya is a shiningexample of what the new
Africa
wants."

Mbeki criticised on
Zimbabwe
However, on Zimbabwe, McIntosh criticised President Thabo Mbekiand the
government for its stance on that country saying the old Africa andthe new
were struggling next door to South Africa in Zimbabwe. "What kind
ofleadership is this and how can the world have confidence in the
AfricanUnion when its very first chairman does not effectively address the
Zimbabweissue?" he
said.

Anna van Wyk of the New National Party said the ideals ofdemocracy, social
justice, and prosperity were not incompatible with thedistinctiveness of
African values. Covering up injustice, cowardly backingup despots,
sentimentalising mediocrity, idolising tyrants and the like werenot part of
African values. Each time African tradition and culture was usedas an excuse
for disregarding the human rights of, for example women andchildren or
ethnic minorities, it was "false" and undermined the ideal ofuplifting
Africa. This had to stop, and thus required leadership, she
said.

Zwelethu Madasa of the African Christian Democratic Party saidtribalism or
religion were often cited as the major causes of conflicts onthe continent.
"While this may be true, there is ample evidence indicatingthat the root
cause of the so-called tribal wars is a scramble for power andaccess to
resources. Why is it that most of the so-called tribal wars are inmineral
rich areas of Africa? Are tribal conflicts not a convenient meansfor those
who are corrupt and greedy of keeping the masses at bay while theycontinue
to loot
unabated?"

Africa needed a new breed of public representatives who weretruly servants
of the people, who would be vigilant against partyauthoritarianism, which
had been one of the means by which dictatorshipsarose on the continent,
Madasa said. Pieter Mulder, the Freedom Frontleader, said Zimbabwe was bound
to be the test for the new AU. Not becausePresident Robert Mugabe was
internationally criticised, but because he"represents what is wrong in
Africa", he said. - Sapa

With the collapse of Zimbabwe's agricultural sector, gold
mines are now thecountry's largest foreign currency earner.

Falcoln
Gold Mine, near Zimbabwe's second city Bulawayo, is the first of thegold
mines to go public and say it faces closure.

The managing director of the
mine, Andrew Bittie, said the mine has not beenpaid foreign currency
earnings by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe since April1.

Most mines in
Zimbabwe are privately owned, but under current practice, thegovernment pays
50 percent of their earnings in the local currency, at atrading rate of 800
Zimbabwe dollars to one U.S. dollar. The other 50percent is supposed to be
paid out in U.S. dollars so the mines have moneyto import materials for
their operations.

But the payments in U.S. dollars have not been coming.
Zimbabwe is using thelittle foreign currency it does have to buy fuel and
pay arrears onelectricity bills to neighboring states.

In addition to
the shortage of foreign currency, Mr. Beattie said the FalconGold Mine is
also suffering because the state's electricity supplier hasincreased its
tariffs in the last month by more than 1,000 percent. Also,electricity cuts
are costing the company four operating hours a day.

Mr. Beattie said the
Falcon Gold mine would close in September if thesituation did not
improve.

On Tuesday, the chief executive of Zimbabwe's chamber of mines,
DavidMurangari, said gold made up more than half of Zimbabwe's mineral
exports.It is now the country's highest foreign currency earner since the
collapseof the tobacco industry following the land reform program, which saw
90percent of tobacco farmers evicted from their properties.

Mr.
Murangari said gold production is declining dramatically. Three yearsago,
Zimbabwe produced 29 tons of gold. Last year it produced half that, and2003
is going to be worse.

Last Sunday a leading South African newspaper printed a disparaging account
of what they called "the ability of the MDC leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, to lead
Zimbabwe". In addition to using a stringer who also writes for the State
controlled Sunday Mail in Zimbabwe they quoted Moyo, the Minister of Information
in the Mugabe regime and another Mugabe sycophant, Ibbo Mandaza who were quoted
as dismissing the MDC leadership as being incapable of effective national
leadership. There was only one candidate who gained their approval and that was
a particularly nasty Zanu PF thug, called Mnangagwa - currently Speaker of the
House of Parliament.

What they failed to report was that it was Mnangagwa who had led the effort
in the 80's to crush Ndebele opposition to the one Party state with over 20 000
deaths. They also failed to note that he was on the UN list of those accused of
pillaging Congo resources during the four years that the Zimbabwe army spent in
the DRC protecting Zanu interests. They also failed to note that he could not
even win the Kwe Kwe constituency in 2000 against a virtually unknown MDC
candidate who was unable to canvass in his constituency for even one day during
the run up to the June 2000 elections because of state sponsored violence and
attempts to kill him.

But what about the ability of Morgan Tsvangirai to lead Zimbabwe after any
transition? On Sunday I sat in the tent at a MDC rally in Bulawayo where Morgan
with others spoke to a crowd I estimated at 25 000 people. Again I was struck by
his ability to communicate with a crowd of this size - he had them laughing and
cheering. He insisted that a member of the leadership close the rally with
prayer. It is always refreshing and encouraging to attend such events - if the
media bothered to do so they too might learn something about the man. What a
contrast to the sour ranting of Mugabe.

My own initial contact with Morgan came in 1997 when I was elected Chairman
of the Industrial Associations that made up the Confederation of Industry in
Zimbabwe. We employed 300 000 workers in 38 sectoral employers organisations and
had to work with the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions, of which Morgan was the
Secretary General at the time. I can clearly remember my first meeting with
Morgan - I did not know him from a bar of soap when I attended a "Labour Summit"
to consider the general conditions under which wage and working conditions would
be negotiated by the Unions that year.

I was very impressed - he came into the meeting, one of the younger men in
the room, but was dominant from the start. It was my first contact with the ZCTU
as an employer and I was impressed by three things - they were organised and
well briefed, they saw our (the employers) point of view and they recognised
that we were working under very adverse circumstances. I can recall how
surprised I was when Morgan made the statement at the meeting that 'if nothing
is done about the macro economic fundamentals, we (the Unions and the Employers)
were wasting our time talking about wages in isolation. Everything we might
achieve will be swept away by the collapse of the economic fundamentals". There
were few employers there who understood this at the time, how right he was.

I worked with Morgan in his capacity as Secretary General of the ZCTU for
three years and my respect for him grew each year. I did not know he only had a
limited school education, I did not know he had never been to University, it did
not matter, he was very bright, well educated and erudite, an excellent
negotiator. He was also clearly in charge of the ZCTU - his personal authority
was unchallenged and if we struck a deal with him or with his help, it stuck.
Not easy in a Union with hundreds of thousands of members and deeply conflicting
interests.

No man or woman in this country has made a bigger impact on this country in
the past decade than Morgan Tsvangirai. Lets look at his personal achievements:
- He left school early because his family could not afford the school fees, is
largely self taught, reads widely and has an excellent mind and understanding of
national issues.

He joined the Mineworkers Union when he worked in that industry, rising
rapidly through the ranks to become Secretary General of the ZCTU, a post he
held for 11 years. Under his leadership the union movement was transformed from
a small, badly run organisation with barely 3 per cent of the labor force in its
membership, to an organization with over 50 Unions and 50 per cent of the
workforce in its membership. He also transformed its leadership from one which
was essentially a part of government as an extension of the Zanu PF Party to a
genuinely independent, democratic labour movement.

He ran a tight ship and in his last year he administered a budget of over
US$10 million. Reporting each year audited accounts that were clean and listed
no major problems. This is no mean achievement and at the end of his era at the
helm of this very large civic organisation he drove a battered B1600 pick up and
lived in a tiny home in a middle class suburb in Harare. This speaks volumes for
his personal integrity - something scarce and valuable in any society.

He is married to a superb and beautiful woman - Susan and has five children.
Is a devoted family man and lives a very private life despite his position. He
does not encourage public exposure of his family and spends as much time as he
can with them. He clearly has a personal faith - reads his bible on a regular
basis and encourages prayer at all MDC meetings. But he is not what you would
call a religious man.

He started the movement to debate the need for a new constitution for the
country at a time when the majority of the people had no understanding of its
importance. "The problem", he would state at meetings "is that the present
constitution gives the President (Mugabe) too much power". He started and
chaired the National Constitutional Assembly for its first 5 years. Raised the
money and ran a national education program that increased national understanding
of the issues to the point where a referendum called by Zanu PF in an attempt to
entrench the powers of the President was defeated in early 2000.

He led a campaign to force the government of the day to consult with other
stakeholders in the formulation of national policy in the economic field. He
demanded that the State put its house in order to ensure that living standards
were protected and growth in the economy ensured. When the State repudiated
these overtures, he led the decision making process to launch a new political
Party which would challenge Zanu PF for power. He put together a gathering in
1999, which brought together in a "Working Peoples Convention" over 350
organisations with the view to bringing together a coalition, which could
challenge Zanu PF hegemony effectively. This was successful and led to the
formation in late 1999 of the Movement for Democratic Change.

In 2000 from a standing start, the MDC defeated the Government in the
February 2000 referendum despite rigging of the national vote to the extent of
15 per cent. Four months later the opposition took 52 per cent of the national
vote and 48 per cent of the seats in the Parliament again under conditions of
widespread rigging and electoral violence. In 2002 Morgan challenged Mugabe for
the presidency and was denied an almost certain victory by desperate rigging and
electoral violence and intimidation.

In the three years that he has led the MDC, he has welded together a
coherent, united organisation that now has offices in all urban centers, a
national structure that embraces all districts in the country and a national
leadership which has withstood every attempt by Zanu PF and State agencies to
subvert its activities. That is no mean achievement. I can tell you he is a
tough disciplinarian, has a wicked sense of humor and is the undisputed leader
of the MDC.

But back to the rally on Sunday - many who read this note will not appreciate
that Morgan is a Shona speaking member of the Karanga clan, the crowd was
largely Ndebele speaking. The Ndebele have a long history of animosity towards
the Shona people and after the genocide of the 80's, many reasons for not
wanting to be governed by the Shona majority. But there is no doubt about his
standing here, a 15-year-old Ndebele girl sang a song of praise to Morgan - all
around me women had tears in their eyes. When he stood up to speak the crowd
went quiet. In minutes they were laughing.

The MDC is a Party of the poor and disadvantaged - the new rich, fear us, the
old rich are distrustful of a social democratic movement. At the rally there
were about 20 cars, the rest of the crowd walked or came by bicycle. When Morgan
had to find millions of dollars for his bail - all we did was to put 200 litre
drums outside our offices on the street and in 2 days we raised more than was
needed - in dollars and cents. One drum in Harare contained Z$800 000. Morgan
inspires loyalty - his secretary Edeth, saved his life when a group of men tried
to throw Morgan out of his 10th floor office window at the ZCTU - she is still
his secretary and is fiercely protective.

You cannot buy integrity, or humility, or wisdom. Morgan has all these
characteristics. He has survived several assassination attempts, has a brutal
work schedule and has worked under intense pressure for years - yet he remains a
pillar of strength to those who work with and for him. The best farmers are
usually accountants - they know that farming is a business and treat it as such
and they also know they must rely on technical advice and support. Mugabe has
six University degrees, his Cabinet has had the services of 17 men and women
with doctorates in various things - they have been an unmitigated disaster as a
government. There is not a single measure of human welfare that is not now
negative in relation to the conditions that existed under Smith 23 years ago.
There is no doubt in my mind - having worked under Smith and Mugabe for 40 odd
years, that Morgan has all the attributes to be an effective national leader -
charisma, intellectual grasp and sound personal values. He has also gathered
around him men and women who constitute the brightest and the best in Zimbabwe -
the best economic brains, key academics, and substantial businesspersons. He
takes advice and acts on it but is also his own man and is deeply trusted by the
people he has led for more than 15 years - the ordinary working men and women in
Zimbabwe.

Harare - Zimbabwe's main opposition party would not take part in
atransitional government if President Robert Mugabe gave up power, said
itsleader Morgan Tsvangirai on Tuesday.

Any interim arrangement after
Mugabe had to follow constitutionalprovisions.

Tsvangirai, who heads
the Movement for Democratic Change, told Harare-baseddiplomats from the G8
industrialised countries that an acting presidentwould have to be appointed
and elections held within three months,

Speculation that the 79-year-old
Mugabe might leave office before his termexpires in 2008 was fanned last
week when he urged party supporters toopenly debate his
succession.

He also hinted in an interview last month that he was
"getting to a stage"where retirement might be possible.

Tsvangirai -
whose party has refused to accept the outcome of last year'spresidential
polls which kept Mugabe in office - said if the MDC aligneditself to the
governing Zanu-PF government, it would legitimise
Mugabe's"reign".

Elections must be held - Tsvangirai

"We will
neither be part of a dubious process that seeks to expand andsanitise
Zanu-PF's illegitimate rule, nor will we accept a secondary role inany
so-called transitional arrangement," said Tsvangirai.

He said that if a
president left office in Zimbabwe, the constitutionprovides for an acting
president "logically from the ruling party" to takeover and for elections to
held within 90 days to choose a substantiveleader.

"We have not
sought and never will seek to be accomodated by anybody outsideour
democratic entitlement, the rule of law and, indeed, the constitution,"he
said.

"The issue of constituional amendment to enable the formation of a
so-calledtransitional government therefore does not arise," he
said.

Tsvangirai, who has called for street anti-government protests next
week,repeated in his statement that "serious and sincere dialogue" was the
onlyway to end Zimbabwe's political and economic crises.

"The only
way to resolve the crisis and salvage what remains of the nationis through a
process of serious and sincere dialogue between the MDC andZanu-PF," he
said. >

IN A few
days' time members of the world's seven richest countries plusRussia (the
Group of Eight) will be having their annual gathering in
Evian,France.

This meeting is crucial. It is the first G-8
meeting after the end of theIraqi war, and is at a time when transatlantic
relations (between the EU,the US and Britain) are at their lowest level
since the end of the Cold War.

It takes place at a time when the world is
more insecure than ever before,as a result of increasing terrorist
activities. It also takes place at atime when famine and war continue
unabated in parts of Africa without makingheadlines on CNN, BBC, Sky News
and the world's top newspapers.

What is making headlines are the bombings
in Riyadh and Casablanca whichsignal the re-emergence of the Al-Qaeda
threat. Britain, the US and othermainly western countries have been forced
to close their embassies in SaudiArabia. They are all in a state of "high
alert" at home and abroad.

The colour-coded homeland security terror
alert in the US was raised a notchto orange, the second from the highest
ranking. It was last changed on theeve of the Iraqi war. British
intelligence agencies are concerned about theUK being targeted. Buckingham
Palace and the Houses of Parliament have allbeen secured with concrete
barriers. Heathrow Airport security has beentightened.

On the
economic front, US Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan has
voicedconcerns about the threat of deflation. The jostling for lucrative
contractsto rebuild Iraq and exploit its massive oil wealth continues
between theworld's richest nations. The French and the Russians had to
compromise andvote for United Nations (UN) resolution 1483, which
legitimises theoccupation and reconstruction of Iraq by the
coalition.

All these are pressing global issues which require global
solutions andshould therefore be discussed at the Evian
summit.

However, there is a glaring omission which is as vital if the
world is tobecome a better and safer place for all. That is Africa.
Solutions to theworld's woes would be incomplete unless the plight of Africa
is taken intoaccount.

In the build-up to the prior G-8 summit in
Kananaskis, Canada, there waswidespread expectation that the G-8 countries
were due to make significantcontributions to help Africa raise the $64bn
needed to implement the NewPartnership for Africa's Development (Nepad).
Those hopes were dashed whenonly $1bn was announced by the G-8 to help
Nepad.

According to Fortune Magazine, the US spent about 10% of its gross
domesticproduct (GDP) on the Marshall Plan. However, its overall aid
contributionnow is less than 0,2%, according to the Economist. Indeed, most
G-8countries contribute less than the UN's target of 0,7% of GDP. A
Europeancow gets $2 a day as a subsidy from the EU compared with more
than300-million Africans who live on less than $1 a day. The G-8 summit
providesthe leaders of the world's richest nations with an historic
opportunity toreinvent their approaches to global problems new solutions to
the oldproblems of insecurity caused by the spectre of global terror,
poverty anddisease are long overdue.

This requires the articulation
of inclusive norms and values that uniterather than divide the world's
people.

The increased state of insecurity, especially in the UK, the US
and theMiddle East, threatens to create fortress societies and roll back the
gainsof globalisation.

What must the G-8 leaders do to contribute to
peace, stability, security andprosperity for all? First, they must take
steps to open up their markets toproducts from the developing
world.

The next round of World Trade Organisation (WTO) talks is due to
take placein Mexico in September. Evian should be used to build consensus on
theremoval of subsidies and protectionist policies and practices that
limitmarket access for African and developing country products.

More
than $300bn is spent on subsidies to western farmers, and thedeveloping
countries lose more than 100bn a year as a result ofprotectionist policies.
Rich countries need to practise what they preach.Free and fair
trade.

More trade and less aid should underpin Africa's future
socioeconomicprosperity. Africa currently accounts for less than 3% of world
trade.Africans are poorer today than they were 30 years ago.

Second,
the G-8 countries need to show the political will and commitment tofind
global solutions to global and regional security problems. The notionof
African solutions to African problems has a lot of emotional appeal
butresults in western countries abdicating their responsibility when it
comesto conflict resolution in Africa.

Global solutions to African
problems underpinned by universal norms andvalues are what is required.
Peace and security are global public goods. TheG-8 and UN must ensure such
basic public goods are available to all.

If the war in Iraq (Operation
Iraqi Freedom) was about "liberating" thepeople of Iraq from a tyrant, the
people of Zimbabwe also need to beliberated from their "tyrant". The people
of Ituri in northeast DemocraticRepublic of Congo need to be liberated from
the tribal warfare thatthreatens a repeat of genocide on the Rwandan scale.
So do the people ofEthiopia, who are dying from famine.

The G-8
countries and the UN can and must act to solve African problems.They can and
must disarm warlords anywhere in Africa. Some have even arguedfor benign
regime change in some failed African states. They also can andmust give more
to starving Ethiopians than their fat cows.

Third, more tangible support
for Nepad needs to be offered by the G-8. WhenNepad was launched it was
hailed by the west as Africa's Marshall Plan. ForNepad to succeed, the G-8
needs to give the same level of financialassistance given to the Marshall
Plan (10% of US GDP). It is easy to findexcuses such as Zimbabwe not to
support Nepad as it is to find excuses tosupport it Botswana, SA and many
others.

Africa's economic prosperity and development are inextricably
intertwinedwith global peace and security. Democracy costs money. Africa
cannot haveenduring democracies so long as it is poor. Most of the world's
democraciesare rich. Conversely, most of the undemocratic, corrupt and
tyrannicalregimes are poor.

Investing in the growth of Africa through
meaningful financial support forNepad will ensure enduring de- mocracy,
peace, stability, human rights, goodgovernance and law and order in Africa
and the world. It remains to be seenif the G-8 will rise to the challenge in
Evian.

"It is what you choose not to observe in your life
that controls your life"

If you are honest you will admit that you are
part of the establishment andthe establishment is ZanuPF. By doing
nothing you are supporting themonster. Get off the fence and play a
small (or big) role in the change.

If you do not, then you are simply
hoping someone else will solve theproblem.

In Zimbabwe we are in the
fortunate position of having a clear case of goodand evil in our daily
life. Which do you choose? A few people are doing alot and most
people are not doing anything. This initiative is a practicalattempt
to help you be part of the solution and not part of the problem.

In a just society the laws reflect
the course of natural justice; they arein a word just laws. What then gives
a law legitimacy, what makes a law"legal"? This is not just a rhetorical
question for students of law, in ourpresent circumstances it is of vital
importance to every person in thecountry.

A law needs traceable
authority; it must be issued on behalf of some personwhose authority is
recognised by the people to whom that law applies. Inmodern society all laws
derive their authority and legitimacy from themajority of the people through
their representation in parliament. A lawcan only be legitimate if the body
making the law is in itself recognisedas being legitimate.

As well as
traceable authority, a law must be in accordance with naturaljustice for it
to be legitimate and just. That is to say, a law passed by agenuine majority
may be illegitimate if it discriminates against anyminority, or unjustly
deprives citizens of their property or freedom.

Axiomatically, an unjust
law cannot be considered legal under anycircumstances.

Because of the
contentious nature of the last general election in Zimbabwe,no law passed by
parliament since that time has any legitimacy. Similarly,no presidential
edicts or appointments can be considered to be legitimateor to have legal
force since the most recent presidential election.

Within Zimbabwe we
have to accede to these "illegal laws" because of forceof arms, though
naturally these illegal laws can be challenged in court. Aproblem here is
that the legal standing and impartiality of these verycourts is under
serious question.

We know very well that we do not live under the rule of
law in Zimbabwe,but what is the situation where contracts and commitments
are made by thepresent government? In any nation, governments undertake
obligations "inthe name of the people". When legitimate governments change
after anelection, the incoming administration is bound to honour obligations
andcontracts entered into by the previous administration. If this were not
so,there would international chaos.

Zimbabwe's problems become
serious when we consider the internationalacceptance or otherwise of the
legitimacy of parliament and the president.We know that the USA, EU, Britain
and most of the Commonwealth do notrecognise the administration as
legitimate. By direct inference then, anillegitimate administration cannot
promulgate legitimate laws and cannotenter into binding contracts "on behalf
of the people of Zimbabwe."

This poses a very serious problem for
countries presently trading withZimbabwe. An incoming administration that is
legitimately elected andinternationally accepted will in no way be bound to
honour commitments madeby the present illegitimate regime. These present
commitments are in thenature of purchases made using a stolen chequebook and
as such are notlegally binding obligations. Most especially so as the theft
of thechequebook has been made widely known.

Caveat emptor (buyer
beware!) is the name of the game, and countries suchas Libya and South
Africa should be aware of this. In my opinion alegitimate incoming
government should repudiate these commitments becausethe nation will need
every penny for reconstruction after the devastationand looting of national
assets that has taken place. It is also my opinionthat the debts incurrent
by the present administration since the generalelection should be regarded
as personal liabilities for which theindividual members of the
administration are jointly and severally
liable.

Many thanks and congratulations on a marvellous job of work for poor
out ofpocket farmers, I still feel that there is a way forward by using
thefarmers that are still on the land, the legit ones or the ones who
havebeen served a section 8 but are still hanging on, who I have warned,
thatis some of them, to put you fully into the picture as to what they
aredoing before they get branded as collaborators, I have said if they
arehelping settlers on their own farms it is a different matter to doing
landprep on other farms and that they may be open to prosecution at a
laterstage but I feel that these chaps could be used to farm the
irrigationsections on other farms with a lease from the title holder. This
couldgive the title holder something to live on as well as help feed the
nation,something along these lines I feel sure could help our
cause.

What lends legitimacy to a law?
Firstly that the body promulgating the lawis itself considered legitimate. I
am sure that the primary reason for thedesire to officially lift sanctions
on Iraq and recognise the occupyingforce as the interim government is to
give international legal legitimacyto contracts, purchases and sales in the
name of the people of Iraq.

It would be a "good thing" if the United
Nations would issue a statementthat no contracts with the illegitimate
government in Zimbabwe would beconsidered legally binding. If the UN cannot
do that, then a firm statementby the EU, Britain and USA to that effect
would have almost equal effect.

The seizure of private property under the
guise of clearly illegal lawsamounts to theft. The fact that these laws have
been bruited about aspurely racist (even though people of all races have
suffered) adds to theirillegitimacy. Any produce sold by people not owning
the title deeds toproperty is clearly stolen property, and the buying of
known stolenproperty is illegal everywhere in the world. Under law, it is
usuallyaccepted that the true owner of stolen goods can reclaim them, and
thebuyer forfeits any money paid. Also, the legal owners have the right
toreclaim their property when circumstances make this possible.

Our
own courts may be severely compromised, but to me it is very clear thatall
the so-called laws promulgated by the current regime have no legalstanding
and will be declared invalid as soon as a legitimate government
isrestored.

No wonder Mugabe and ZPF are so desperate to be
recognised as legitimate,and why they are so worried! Without free and fair
elections accepted byall, there is no hope of that occurring, and they know
full well that theydon't stand a snowball's hope in hell of winning a fair
election.

There is much speculation
in Zimbabwe about whether and when PresidentRobert Mugabe might retire. The
president has said his party should begin todiscuss who might be the its
next leader.

President Mugabe began the speculation by
announcing on the country's 23rdindependence anniversary in April that he
was ready to consider leavingoffice someday. Then last week, he encouraged
open debate on his successorwithin the ruling ZANU PF party.

But Mr.
Mugabe has not said when he might retire. He is 79 years old, andhas ruled
Zimbabwe since independence in 1980. His Ministry of Informationsays he will
stay in office until the end of his current term in 2008.

But if Mr.
Mugabe wants to leave office sooner, the Zimbabwe constitution isvery clear
on the procedure.

"Under the constitution, if the president steps down,
immediately one of thevice presidents must take over as acting president for
a maximum of threemonths," explained Lovemore Madhuku, University of
Zimbabwe law lecturer andconstitutional expert. "Within that three-month
period there must bearrangements for fresh elections to elect a new
president. So you must havea new president within 90 days of the president
resigning or retiring."

Mr. Madhuku said the only way the ruling party
can avoid elections is bychanging the constitution. But the party does not
have the requiredtwo-thirds majority in parliament to do so.

"I think
we should stress here that most of the discussions taking placearound the
succession issue are not taking into account what theconstitution of the
country says," said Mr. Madhuku. "I think the argumentby the current
president is that he was legally elected and he has to serveuntil 2008. And
should he decide to step down before 2008 then you mustfollow the
constitution which would require that a new president be elected,not that
there be a transitional government."

Mr. Madhuku added that Mr. Mugabe is
not likely to leave office and force anearly election with the opposition
apparently very popular among the people,and severe economic problems and
food shortages further eroding support forhis party. The opposition and most
foreign governments already accuse Mr.Mugabe of winning last year's election
only through fraud and intimidation.

President Robert Mugabe's government has bowed to
international and nationalpressure to hold dialogue with Zimbabwe's
opposition, in an effort tocontain the country's dilapidating political and
economic crisis.

Mugabe, who in the past refused to engage in talks with
leader ofopposition, Morgan Tsvangirai, on claims that Tsvangira's Movement
forDemocratic Change (MDC) was fronting British and American
neo-colonialinterests, admitted that there was an urgent need to initiate
dialogue tosolve the country's problems. This, he did after meeting three
visitingAfrican heads of State.

Nigeria's President, Olusegun
Obasanjo, South Africa's Thabo Mbeki andBakili Muluzi of Malawi, met Mugabe
and Tsvangirai for separate talks inHarare on May 7, in efforts to bring the
two sides to the negotiating table.

"A more stable political dialogue is
possible. We should never get to apoint where we feel incapacitated to deal
with our problems. Our problemsare better resolved through dialogue," said
the Minister of Justice, Legaland Parliamentary Affairs, Patrick Chinamasa,
when briefing parliamentarianson the visit by the three
presidents.

The minister, an ardent Mugabe loyalist, said lack of
dialogue between theruling ZANU-PF and MDC was the cause of most problems
affecting the country.

The MDC, civil society and the international
community is demanding thatMugabe hands over power to a transitional
government, which will facilitatethe holding of fresh elections.

But
Mugabe, who analyst say is now feeling the effects of British and USpressure
for him to resign, insists that he can only engage the oppositionif it
recognises him as the legitimate leader of the country.

However, last
month, Mugabe approached the Archbishop of Cape Town, the MostReverend
Njongonkulu Ndungane to mediate between the two sides.

Archbishop
Ndungane said after the meeting: "He has said quite openly thathe is open to
diversity of political participation in this and I think thefact that he has
invited mediation shows he appreciates the problemsaffecting
Zimbabwe."

The country is facing its worst economic depression since
independence fromBritain in 1980, after being plunged into turmoil in 2000
when thegovernment embarked on an agrarian reform programme aimed at
transferringland from the minority white commercial farmers to landless
blacks.

Subsequent general elections won by Mugabe's ruling Zimbabwe
AfricanNational Union - Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF), were dismissed by
theinternational community as fraudulent, further pushing the once
prosperoussouthern African country into political and economic turmoil
characterisedby a shortage of foreign currency and alarming job
losses.

On these problems, Archbishop said: "From my initial meeting with
PresidentMugabe, his indication is that both internal and external problems
flow fromthe unfinished business of Lancaster House (where independent
Zimbabwe'sConstitution was drafted)."

Mugabe claims the British
agreed to fund the phased transfer of land fromthe minority white
population, who owned 75 percent of the productive land,to landless
blacks.